Samuel David Martin Ribitch

Samuel Martin or Ribitch as he was known to most, Son, Father, Brother & Husband. Artist, Poet, Musician, Surrealist, Teacher… a man of vision with an extraordinary mind, passed away after a well fought battle with Pancreatic Cancer at age 69. He is survived by his wife, Dorlene, his mother Marjorie, his sister Sandra and his two sons David & Jason. He inspired so many across the globe to capture the marvelous through creative explorations of all sorts. One might say that it was impossible to have met him and not to have been inspired. “He left an imprint on the heart of everyone he met, a lasting reminder of what you can do utilizing the marvelous.” It was a great loss to the world we inhabit that he had to leave us so early for he had so much more that he was willing to share. He continued to create and inspire till his dying day. Creative expression called him from very early on. By the early age of 10 he realized he wanted to use words and art to cause a reaction, a feeling. For the past forty years he has been an active member of the International Surrealist Movement. Since his introduction to Philip Lamantia and the Bay Area Surrealist Group in 1975 he has been involved in many major Surrealist exhibitions. Soon after this momentous meeting Ribitch traveled to Chicago to meet with the Arsenal Group and attended The World Surrealist Exhibition: Marvelous Freedom, The Vigilance of Desire. Over 33 Nations were represented showing the solidarity of all the individual groups’ worldwide. Ribitch’s views of surrealism can be summed up in his own words, “It is a lightning field of the possible, where the horizon is set aflame by human potential. It is here amongst the corellas of this possibility that the marvelous displays its fine wings of gossamer silk and smoke. It is the play between the invisible and the visible dancing under a moon, recognizing its dreams in crystalline reflection. It is the erotic sensation of a breath, like the shaman’s drum, the heartbeat of the marvelous calling to the unseen chimeras of the unconscious to reveal their stories at the edge of the eye.” His work has been published in multiple books and publications. Along with fellow Surrealist colleagues he co-created Oyster Moon Press, a non-profit, surrealist publishing co-op and they published 2 volumes of “Hydrolith: Surrealist Research & Investigations” along with other works. His other artistic passion was the Blues. His first introduction to music was his mother who would sing “You are My Sunshine” when he was feeling sad and when he was suffering from Rheumatic fever. He first heard the Blues when he was around 9 years old when he heard his upstairs neighbor playing Muddy Waters & Elmore James. He would sit and listen to her 78s. As a teen he had a friend that introduced him to the music of Lightnin Hopkins, who became one of his favorite Blues artist. He started playing Blues, primarily delta slide guitar around 1976. He also played harmonica, and mandolin. While he never prosude a professional career as a musician he was involved with the Bay Area Blues Society and did get to play with the likes of Blues greats like Pinetop Perkins & Charlie Musselwhite. It was this love of music that brought him and his soul mate, Dorlene, together at a Zydeco dance. Later in life his love of the Blues mixed with another art form, Photography. Ribitch combined his love of music, photography and art to make extraordinary works that went well beyond traditional photographic work. This work earned him the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame “Blues Photographer of the Year” in 2004 He was a peaceful revolutionary who believed in justice and equality for all. “As his wife, the joy he gave me will make me even stronger.” -- Dorlene Eastman, loving wife “My father inspired me to always be true to myself and others and follow my dreams to wherever they might lead me. I am so grateful for his inspiration and influence and helping me become the man I am today.” -- Jason Martin, son “When I was a child, I traveled to Mexico with my father in an old blue school bus. We ended up joining a traveling circus down there. In that trip I experienced the strength of communities, people that had very little but took care of each other and from that I took away a profound feeling that as long as you have a strong family and community you can take risks. He shared his love and unbridled creativity with my brother and I and encouraged us to follow our passion. I will miss him dearly and always hold him close to my heart.” -- David Martin, son “My son a warrior even in his mighty movements in the warm shelter of my heart. Oh how I loved him then and love him now. A warrior always” -- Marjorie Digue, mother

Samuel David Martin Ribitch

December 3, 1946 - December 22, 2015

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Samuel David Martin Ribitch

December 3, 1946 - December 22, 2015

365 Days of Grief Support

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

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Obituaries

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